Joulupöytä
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Joulupöytä (translated "Christmas table") is the name of the traditional food board served at Christmas in Finland. It contains many different dishes, most of them typical for the season. The main dish is usually a large Christmas ham, which is eaten with mustard or bread along with the other dishes. Fish is also served (often lutefisk and gravlax), and with the ham there are also so-called "laatikot", casseroles with liver and raisins or potatoes or rice and carrots. The traditional Christmas beverage is either alcoholic or non-alcoholic mulled wine ("glögi" in Finnish).
The traditional dishes of joulupöytä contain:
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- Christmas ham with mustard
- Turkey
- Boiled potatoes
- Lutefisk and white sauce
- Freshly salted salmon, Gravlax
- Potato casserole
- Carrot casserole
- Rutabarga casserole
- Rosolli (salad from boiled beetroots, carrots, potatoes and cucumber. If served with herring, it becomes sillisalaatti)
- Mixed fruit soup or prune soup
- Rice pudding or rice porridge with cinnamon, sugar and cold milk or with mixed fruit soup
- Glogg or mulled wine
- Various sashimi, usually from salmon, whitefish and pikeperch
- Pickled herring in various forms (tomato, mustard, matjes or onion sauces)
- Mustard
- Various sauces
- Christmas beer
- Prune jam pastries
- Gingerbread
Beverages most often served are:
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- Akvavit as appetizer
- Mulled wine
- Beer, usually special Christmas brands. Most Finnish breweries have seasonal beers for Christmas.
- Milk
- Wine is uncommon, but not rare
The usual desserts are:
Usually the rice porridge is served from a large, common kettle and an almond has been hidden in it. The one who gets the almond gets his or her Christmas presents first.